Infertility May Be Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

07 Dec Infertility May Be Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

Lack of success in falling pregnant has been attributed to quite a few factors. Some of them seem like trivial things but they have a much larger effect on the body and reproductive capability of a woman. Experts have researched a lot on this particular topic since this phenomenon is what drives the cycle of life and progression of progeny.

Some of the reasons for failure in conceiving are:

Excessive stress

Lack of sleep

Fluctuating monthly cycles

Weight problems

Most of these reasons are considered as minor by people and are largely ignored.

Effects of Infertility on a Woman

Born with a natural tendency to nurture and nourish, a woman suffers from many negative effects if she cannot get pregnant. These include:

Social pressure in some societies

Emotional issues

Deteriorating mental health

Once a woman constantly starts asking herself the question, “Why Can`t I Get Pregnant?” she is overridden with stress and that impacts the body negatively.

Recent Study Regarding Infertility and its Impact

A recent study indicated that women not able to conceive may potentially be at a greater risk of falling prey to more severe diseases including certain types of cancers.

This aspect of infertility was explained in terms of an infertile woman having a 45% chance of acquiring breast cancer. Basically, the crux of this research is that infertility may in some instances be actually the precursor of more critical diseases.

Procedure of the Research

The research was carried out by Dr. Natalie Stenz, who is a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. The study group comprised of over 78,000 women who had reported infertility. In medical terms, infertility refers to the inability to fall pregnant in a period of one year or more.

Following them for 13 years, the study analyzed the differences in their bodies and causes of deaths during that period. The study concluded that:

Infertile women are more prone to diabetes and breast cancer.

Endocrine-related disease and breast cancer were observed more in infertile women.

Conceiving and having a child enhances the quality of health for a woman.

Infertile women also have an increased risk of acquiring cardiovascular diseases.

Getting pregnant can significantly lower the chances of a long-term disease attacking a woman.

According to Dr. Natalie, “The study highlights the fact that a history of infertility is indeed related to women’s lifelong health and opens potential opportunities for screening or preventative management for infertile women”.

Further Approach in the Field

This study played a major role in changing the way experts view infertility. Now, they are certain that the effects of infertility on women are same as that of men since earlier studies have confirmed the greater risk of disease for men who suffer from infertility.

Now that it is clear that along with genetic factors, infertility can also lead to cancer; there is a need for extensive studies on the connector between the two issues. When the study was presented at the ASRM, the President stated that this study was “potentially very important study”.